Faculty

Cynthia O’Donnell, MA A.P.

Is the founder and CEO of East West College of Natural Medicine. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a B.A. in Holistic Health in 1981 and earned her Master of Arts in Holistic Health from Heartwood College of Natural Healing Arts in Santa Cruz, California in 1983, which also included a diploma in massage therapy.. After completing her studies in Chinese medicine at the Florida Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, she attended a post-graduate program in tui-na massage at the Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China in 1998. Cynthia is a Florida licensed Acupuncture Physician; Massage Therapist, and an accomplished homeopath. She is a graduate of the New England College of Homeopathy and the Master’s Homeopathic Clinician Program taught by Louis Klein, the famous Canadian homeopath. In addition to her academic achievements, she has an extensive business background including ownership of several natural health centers; owner of L’Estetica, a skin care and massage therapy business with four locations; and was president of The Healing Center, Inc., a complementary medical center in Sarasota. Membership Association Vice President of the board of the American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM).

Z. Light Miller

Light Miller’s East Indian background gives her a strong connection to her roots in Ayurveda, which she learned from her grandmother who used Ayurvedic herbs and from her mother, who introduced her to the uses of essential oils and herbal products for skin care.

Light graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a BS in Sociology in 1968.She received her massage diploma from the Los Angeles School of Massage in 1969. Subsequently,  she traveled throughout Central and South America as an interpreter for two spiritual masters from India who taught yoga and meditation Light co-founded the Well Being Clinic, the Well Being Massage School, and the Wholistic Studies School in Sacramento, California and later: the Anasolom Spiritual Center for Enlightenment, and the first raw food restaurant in Miami, Florida.

She apprenticed Dr. Raam Panday of New York after which she returned to India to study the art and science of Ayurveda, Marma Point Therapy, and Pulse Diagnosis with a 103-year-young master.  Light became the first female ever trained in the rejuvenative art of Kaya Kalpa, which is an ancient spiritual initiation.  She continues to study with her teacher, Dr. Pancha Bai Chotay of Santa Cruz, India, who is now 117-years-young.

In addition to teaching global workshops for several years, she also provides services for Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counseling, Pancha Karma Rejuvenation Treatments, and Kaya Kalpa spiritual bodywork.  She is the Ayurvedic Consultant for Tola Spa, in Malibu, and California.  She co-authored, Ayurveda & Aromatherapy and the Ayurvedic Correspondence Course.   has authored, Ayurvedic Remedies For The Whole Family, and Ayurvedic Curative Cuisine for Everyone, and is currently working on Ayurvedic Pregnancy and Infant Care.  Her goal in life has been, and continues to be, that of supporting women of the world and in that vein she is currently writing a book entitled, Honoring the Feminine Within All Life.

Memberships and Associations:  National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists (NAHA), California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (CAAM), the National Association of Professional Women, and a Board Member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). 

 
Bryan Miller

In 1997, Bryan was licensed as an Oregon Massage therapist and in 1979 he graduated from Western State Chiropractic College and was a California licensed chiropractor.  During the course of eleven years, he co-founded "The Institute of Well Being Massage School” in Sacramento, California, and after moving to Hawaii, he became a state licensed chiropractor and co-founded the “Molokai Chiropractic Clinic,” and ”Molokai Massage.”

He has been an editorial consultant to "Healthy & Natural" Magazine, and co-authored "Ayurveda & Aromatherapy" and a four-volume “Ayurvedic Correspondence Course.”

Bryan practices an Ayurvedic lifestyle, teaches educational classes globally, provides Pancha Karma programs, teaches Shirodhara and Tarpana, and has been trained as a Kaya Kalpa (spiritual bodywork) practitioner, of which there are only a few in the world. 

Bryan has a passion for teaching.  Currently, he is Administrator and instructor of the Sarasota Branch of the Florida Vedic College, which offers state-approved college degrees in Ayurveda and Aromatherapy.  He is a professor at the Everglades University in Sarasota, Florida, where he teaches Ayurveda, Mind-Body, and Anatomy and Physiology and recently received the Instructor of Distinction Award for his outstanding dedication in student achievement.    

 
William Berno

William is a graduate of the Sun Coast Acupuncture School and is a Florida licensed Acupuncture Physician. In 1995, he graduated form Quantum University’s Homeopathic Program and is a Diplomate of the National Board of Homeopathic Examiners. He has taught Japanese Acupuncture and homeopathy since 1999 and has a private practice in Sarasota and Clearwater, Florida. He is also a teacher of Transcendental Meditation and has been practicing this technique for the past 36 years. William holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of South Florida and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego.